ECONOMY

Economy

Severe Weather Socks The Economy, But Full Impact Is Unclear

6:31pm March 04, 2014

by Chris Arnold

Economists say the unusually severe winter weather across the U.S. has cost billions of dollars and curtailed job growth. Some sectors of the economy will likely bounce back more than others.

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New research finds that 3 out of 4 remote workers are men.

Economy

Telework: Not Just For Moms And Millennials

12:37pm February 28, 2014

by Jennifer Ludden

New research finds that nearly one-third of full-time workers do most of their work remotely. But just who those workers are — and how much work they're doing — may come as a surprise.

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Economy

Netflix Pays Comcast To Ensure Its Videos Stream Smoothly

8:02pm February 24, 2014

by Jim Zarroli

Content companies and internet service providers have disagreed over who should pay for broadband infrastructure upgrades. A new agreement between Nextflix and Comcast suggests that's changing.

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Tenn. Workers Vote To Reject Union At VW Plant

1:13pm February 15, 2014

Workers at the VW plant in Chattanooga have dealt a blow to organized labor in the South. NPR's Scott Simon speaks to reporter Blake Farmer about the close vote.

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A new study shows that the income gap between young adults who go to college and those who don't only continues to grow.

Going To College May Cost You, But So Will Skipping It

8:00pm February 11, 2014

by Jennifer Ludden

The gap in earnings between young people who have a college degree and those who don't has continued to widen over the past several decades. And while total student loan debt in the U.S. continues to rise, millennials say a college degree is still worth it.

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House Passes 'Clean' Debt Limit Bill

8:00pm February 11, 2014

by David Welna

Republican House Speaker John Boehner has said for months that he would not let the United States default on its debt, and he made good on that promise: The House voted Tuesday evening for an increase of the debt limit with no strings attached, just as President Obama had wanted.

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Does Congress Have Enough Political Will To Reduce The Debt?

10:24am February 11, 2014

by Ailsa Chang

When the bipartisan budget deal was announced in December, supporters heralded cuts that would balance spending increases — among them, a slight reduction to the pensions of working-age military retirees. But a bipartisan consensus emerged to undo it — calling into the question whether Congress has the political will necessary to make any cuts that reduce the long-term debt.

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Propane cylinders sit on the grounds of Blue Rhino, a propane gas company, in Tavares, Fla. In the Midwest, farmers needed more propane for crops that came in later than normal.

As Temps Drop, Gas Prices Rise, Along With Demand For Fuel

4:18pm February 10, 2014

by Jeff Brady

The country is producing more natural gas than it can burn, but frigid weather has made it harder for companies to deliver that gas to those who need it, especially in densely populated areas in the Northeast. As a result, prices have skyrocketed.

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GOP Still Looking At Pieces Of Debt Limit 'Puzzle'

3:40pm February 07, 2014

by David Welna

Friday is the statutory deadline for the Treasury's borrowing authority, but Congress has no agreement on how to raise the limit. House Republicans appear unwilling to force another showdown over the debt ceiling, but they have not yet found a way to save face, and there are few legislative days left before Treasury exhausts its means to pay the bills.

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Economy

January Unemployment Numbers Expected To Rebound

11:26am February 07, 2014

by John Ydstie

The Labor Department releases the January jobs report Friday morning. December was a big disappointment. Analysts are puzzling over why an economy that's growing at a better than 3 percent clip can't produce more jobs.

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